Endless-film reel



L. A. WILSON.

ENDLESS FILM REEL.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 25. 1919.

llll'Ylvl.'.A 'Lil' A. WILSON, 0F NEW YORK, N. Y.

'ENDLESS-FILE EEL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 25, 1919. Serial No. 326,215.

which a spirally wound endless hlm can be.

unwound at its core in amounts equal to that simultaneously wound upV onthe outside thereof. .Y y

'lhe4 invention consists essentially of a -rotating turntable to supporta spirally wound endless :Edin and a rotating guide cone to guide thedischarge oi the iilin from its core. Means are provided to rotate theguide cone at a greater speed than the turntable,

thereby compensatingthe dierence of diameters oi the film at its:outside and at its ,core to equalize the amounts or discharge andintake of the hlm.

ln the accompanying drawings Figure l shows atop plan view of a reelwith its endless iilm eiremplii-ying the invention; F1g.2 shows anelevation and partial section oi lli l on the line 2, 2.

i. hollow base housing is shown with the lower portion 20 having thetoot 2l and the upper contracted head portion 22. c

A step 23is termed between said portions.

A bracket 25 with the journal bearings 26- and 27 is fastened to thelower portion 20. A stationary guide sleeve 30 with the upper liange 31is coaxially located in the head portion 22 and has li'orined therewiththe arms 32 having the eetf33. 7lhe latter are secured to the innerkItace of the wall of the said head portion 22.

A second guide sleeve 36 with the flange 37 is coaxially located withinthe guide sleeve 30. A ball bearing cage 38 with the ball bearings 39encircles the sleeve 36 and said" ball bearings bear upon the dange 3l..The flange 37 bears upon the ball bearings 39.

A turntable 40 bears upon the Harige 37 and p is secured thereto bymeans of pins or rivets 4l. A vertical cone driving shaft 45 is guidedin the sleeve 36 and its lower end is supported ina Ifoot bracket 46. lAball 47 in the bracket 46 supports the lower end of the shaft 45. Abevel gear 48 -is fastened to Patented June 2i, 192.1.

the lower end of the sleeve 36. A driving lshaift 49 is supported in thejournal bearing .26 of the bracket 25. A bevel pinion 50 is fastened tothe shaft 49 and meshes with the bevel wheel 48. A bevel wheel 53 isi'astened to the shaft 45 and is smaller in diameter than the bevel gear48. A second drive ing shaft 54 is journaled in the journal bearing 27and has fastened thereto the bevel pinion 55 that meshes with the bevelgear 53. A ball bearing cage 56 with the ball bearings 57 encircles theshaft 45. The ball bearings 57 bear upon the turntable 40. A guide cone60 having the lower face 6l is fastened to the shaft 45 andA its lowerface bears upon the roller bearings 57. A'n endless hlm 63 of a motionpicture machine (not shown) or the like, is placed upon the turntable 40and encircles thel guide cone 60.

A bracket 64 with the threaded upper end 65 is secured. to the lowerportion 20 of the Y the spring 7G. A pair oi thumb nuts 72, 7 3

bear against the clamping plates 66 and 67 and maintain the spring 70 inoperative position. A pair of journal brackets 76, 77 are l secured'tothe ends of the spring 70. A tension guideiroller 78 is journaled ineach ot the brackets 76 and 77 and bear against the outer :tace of theendless hlm 63 to maintain the later in proper position upon theturntable 40.

A pair or brackets like 80 are secured to the lowerV portion 20 and eachsup orts a post 84. :Each post 84 is shoulderet at its upper end for thethreaded portion 85.

A stationary nlm guide cover. plate 86 partially covers the ilm'63 andhas formed therewith the lugs 87, 87 a and 88. The plate is supportedupon the shoulders or the posts 84. Nuts 89 in threaded engagement withthe threaded portions 85 secure the cover late 86 in place.

llith the lug 87 a there is formed a sleeve 90. A spindle 91 with thehead 92 at its lower end is fastened in the sleeve by means oi the pin93. A guide roller 94 is journaled on the spindle 91,

A lug 96 extends up has secured thereto the U sh-aped film guide loop 98is formed at the Aupper end of the rod 97. The plane of the endless-film 63 is located around the guide cone 60V and the said film isunwound at its core 100, duringV the operation of the reel. The outgoingportion 63a of the film passes through the guide loop 98, then leadsover a guide roller 101. From the latter the portion 63a leads toapicture machine, or other apparatus in which it is to be used. Thereturning portion 63b of the film 63 passes over the roller 94 and thenwinds around the periphery of the roll of the film 63.

To operate the device, the driving shafts l49 and54 are turned at thesame speed by means not shown. They in turn through the bevel pinion 50,bevel gear 48 and bevel pinion and bevel gear 53, respectively turn thesleeve 36 and the shaft 45. The bevelgear 53 being Smaller than thebevel gear 48, the shaft 45 is turned with a greater speed than thesleeve 36. Consequently, the guide cone rotates with a greater speedthan the turntable 40.

By this means the outer po-rtion of the film 63 which has a largerdiameter than windings of the film at its core travels more slo-wly thanthe windings at the core 100. Thereby the tension of the film 63 at itsouter and inner windings is equalized, and the film is evenly wound andunwoundduring its operations.

By means of the threaded end 65 of the rod 64, the spring` can beadjusted to different `positions on said rod, and thereby the pressureof the guide rollers A7 8 on the outside Winding ofthe film 63 can beadjusted.

rlhe pressure of the guide rollers 7 8 on the outside winding of thefiln163 maintains the said film in eccentric relation to the guide cone60, with a crescent shaped clearance space M between the core of thefilm and the said guide cone. The inclinationl of the wall of the guidecone andthe clearance .space M enables the film to male a' turn or twistof 90 degrees in the body thereof, to

l be enabled to rise to aY higher level as it isunwound at its core.kThe film then easily passes through the U-shaped-guide loop 98. l

To direct the film to a higherle^vel in the same-plane in which it ispositioned at its core, would permit it to be easily ,broken Having'described my invention what l desire to secure by Letters Patent andclaim 1s Y 1. ln an endless film reel thel combination of airotaryturntable for supporting and winding up an endless lmand a rotatingguide cone to unwind the film at its core, the said conerotating atV agreater Speed than from the step 23, and" film guide rod 97. A

said turntable to compensate for the difference of diameters of Saidfilm at its core and at its outer windings.v

2. In an endless film reel the combination of a rotating turntable forsupporting and winding up an endless film, va ,rotating guide cone atthe core of the film to unwind the rate of speed than the turntable, astationary film guide loop to guide the film as it unwinds at its coreand a guide roller bearing against the outer face of the outer windingof the film.

4. ln an endless film reel the combination 5. ln an endless film reelthe combination' of a turntable, a guide sleeve supporting and fastenedto the turntable, a lange at the upper end of the guide sleeve, astationary guide sleeve encircling the rst guide sleeve and having aHarige at its upper end, ball bearings between said flanges, a shaftwithin said first guide sleeve, a guide cone fastened to the upper endof the shaft, ball bearings between the lower face of the guide cone andthe upper face of the turntable, means to turn the guide sleeve thatcarries the turntable and means to rotate the shaft at a greater rate ofspeed than the turntable. A

6. ln an endless film reel the combination of a base housing with alower portion and anupper portion, a shaft in the lon 'tudinal axialcenter of the housing, a gui e cone fastened to the upper end of theshaft, a

stationary guide sleeve with a Bange at .its

of a turntable, a guide` sleeve. supporting and secured to theturntable, a rotating shaftguide cover plate over the turntable to guidea film thereon, a stationary filml guide loQp over the lm and tensionguide rollers to bear against the outer face of the outer winding of thelm.

, 7 In an endless film reel the combination ofa base housing with alower portion and an upper portion, a shaft extendlng into the housingin the axial center thereof, a guide cone fastened to the upper end ofthe shaft, a stationary guide sleeve with a flange at its upper endsecured in the upper. portion of the housing, a rotative guide sleevehaving a flange at its upper end between the shaft and stationarysleeve, ball bearings between the two flanges, a turntable carried =onand fastened .to the flange of the rotative sleeve, ball bearingsbetween the turntable and the lower face of the guide cone, a stationaryfilm guide cover over the turntable to guide a film thereon, a pair oftension rollers located to bear on the outside winding of the lm, astationary film guide loop for the lilma gear fastened to the shaft, alarger gear fastened to the rotative guide sleeve and means to rotateboth gears, the smaller gear rotating at a greatel` rate of speed thanthe larger.

8. In an endless lm reel the combination of a turntable for an endlessfilm, a guide cone at the core of the film coaxial with the turntable,means to rotate the turntable,

means to turn the guide cone, the said film spirally wound around theAide cone on the turntable during the rotatlon of the reel, means tomaintain a clearance space on one side between the guide cone and thecore of the film, a guide loop' adjacent tothe guide cone for said filmas it unwnds at its core, the guide loop having a pair of arms parallelto the turntable to guide the film to make a turn or twist of 90Idegrees as it unwinds. at its core.

9. In an endless film reel the combination of a turntable for an endlessfilm, a guide cone at the core of the film coaxial withthe turntable,means to rotate the turntable, means to turn the guide cone, the saidfilm spirally wound around the guide cone on the turntable during theoperation of the reel, the said film unwound at its core, ilexible meansbearing against the outer windings ofthe film producing on the oppositeside a crescent shaped clearance space be.

tween the core of the film' and the guide cone and a 'guide loopadjacent to the guide cone for said film, the guide loop parallel to theturntable to guide the lln to make a turn or twist of 90 degrees as itleaves its core. i

Signed at New York city, in the. countyof New York and State of. NewYork, this eighth day of September, A. D. 1919.

LYMAN A. WILSON.

